What if I do not know the answer?

The ThriveGuide questionnaire listens to the experience and knowledge you have about your autistic child’s unique strengths and challenges in order to generate the personalized recommendations in your ThriveGuide. Sometimes you may not be sure about how to answer a question and this is an understandable, common experience. Remember, this process is non-judgemental and we don’t evaluate or critique your parenting. The ThriveGuide was designed from a genuine acceptance of neurodiversity and a deep respect for the dedicated people who love and care for their children. The questionnaire is never trying to catch you out!

When you do not know how to answer a question, consider if you or your child might benefit from support or direction in this area. For example, if asked “Is your child a shallow breather?” and you are unsure but would like support regarding your child’s breathing, answer “yes”; your answer will then be considered when generating your ThriveGuide. If you are not interested in support for your child’s breathing, answer “no”.

If you do not know how to answer because your child’s behavior changes or a situation has recently changed, answer based on the current (last two months) and most common situation or behavior.

Some parents might choose to complete the intake questionnaire with their co-parent or another of their child’s caregivers. In this case, there may be some questions that you have different answers for. It is common that a child behaves differently with each parent and caregiver. For consistency of response, in cases in which two adults have different answers, please defer (answer from) the parent or caregiver who spends the most amount of time per month with the child. And if the time is exactly equal, simply choose one parent/ caregiver to be the “lead” for the sake of the intake questionnaire.